Banca de DEFESA: FEDERICO DOS SANTOS CUPELLO

Uma banca de DEFESA de MESTRADO foi cadastrada pelo programa.
STUDENT : FEDERICO DOS SANTOS CUPELLO
DATE: 25/07/2023
TIME: 09:00
LOCAL: Remota - Plataforma GoogleMeet
TITLE:

Characterization of the uterine microbiota of mares at different ages.

KEY WORDS:

Equine endometrium. Equine fertility. Equine uterine microbiota.

PAGES: 66
BIG AREA: Ciências Agrárias
AREA: Medicina Veterinária
SUBÁREA: Reprodução Animal
SPECIALTY: Ginecologia e Andrologia Animal
SUMMARY:

The objective of this study was to qualitatively and comparatively characterize the microorganisms found in the endometrium of mares of different ages. Intrauterine material was collected from 46 healthy mares for cytological analysis, fungal, and bacterial culture. The selected animals were allocated into three age groups: G1 (n = 10) - nulliparous mares aged between 2 and 4 years; G2 (n = 17) - reproductive phase mares aged between 5 and 10 years; and G3 (n = 19) - reproductive phase mares aged between 11 and 18 years. The mares underwent ultrasonographic evaluation to monitor the estrous cycle, and when they presented a follicle with a diameter ≥ 35 mm and uterine edema grade 3 (on a scale of 1 to 5), intrauterine material was collected. The samples were collected using a sterile swab and cytological brush with the aid of a gynecological forceps. The collected material for fungal/bacterial isolation was placed in Stuart medium at room temperature and sent to the laboratory at UFRRJ. Slides were stained with rapid panoptic staining, and cytology aimed to identify the presence of neutrophils, macrophages, and eosinophils, under optical microscopy at magnifications of 400 to 1000X. Statistical analysis was performed using the Chi-square test with a significance level of 5%. Among the findings, bacterial culture showed the presence of Bacillus spp, Enterococcus sp., Staphylococcus sp., and Streptococcus sp. Animals in Group G1 had significant differences in the proportions of bacterial genera found; animals in Group G2 had more individuals with Staphylococcus bacteria than Groups G1 and G3; and animals in Group G3 had a higher incidence of Bacillus bacteria. The genus Streptococcus was not found in Group G3, which may be related to the age of the animals and their history of uterine treatments. Bacillus bacteria were the most common. Fungal culture showed the presence of Candida albicans, Geotrichum sp., Rhodotorula sp., and Trichosporon sp. Fungal colonization is more diverse in mares from Groups G2 and G3, with a prevalence of Candida albicans, Geotrichum sp., Rhodotorula sp., and Trichosporon sp. Group G1 showed fungal colonization by Candida albicans and Rhodotorula sp. Cytological evaluation of the mares' endometrium showed that 90% of the animals in Group G1 presented cytology without characteristic alteration. The alterations present in G2 and G3 may be associated with endometrial inflammatory processes, given the increased number of inflammatory response cells (G2 = 58.9% and G3 = 78.9%), which may correlate with the age of the animal and reproductive management conditions. No significant differences were observed regarding the presence of harmful microorganisms between G2 and G3, which was not the case when compared to G1. These results demonstrated that there is a lower incidence of harmful microorganisms in the uterine endometrium of young and nulliparous mares compared to the other groups.

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
Interno - 1548043 - MARCO ROBERTO BOURG DE MELLO
Externa ao Programa - 1201559 - VERA LUCIA TEIXEIRA DE JESUS - UFRRJExterna à Instituição - ALLINE FERREIRA BRASIL - UES
Externo à Instituição - GUSTAVO MENDES GOMES - UV
Externo à Instituição - MARCUS ANDRE FERREIRA SA